Shute Hill in August

This afternoon my wife Judy and I walked
up Shute Hill about a mile from home. Judy
picked a bowl of blackberries, and I operated
some of the Worked All Europe contest. In
15 minutes I logged Germany, Sweden, Poland,
Belgium, Italy and Hungary. It was the perfect
way to spend a summer afternoon.

We started at the top of Shute Hill near an old cemetery.

Some of the old graves are from the 1700s.

We hiked about a mile and a quarter along an old logging
road. It's used by snowmobiles and ATVs as well as horse-
back riders. It's a wonderful place filled with wildlife. We've
had close encounters with moose, deer and beaver. It's
known for bear and coyotes too. There's a three-acre beaver
pond that's still active with a lovely brook that flows from it.
We cross the brook on an old bridge, it's slowed to a trickle
with all the dry weather.

It feels like early September. We hear only the crickets
chirping and the bees on the goldenrod and asters.

Blackberry bushes along the trail were loaded. And
they were sweet. We ate more than we saved.

I set up under an old oak tree at the top of the
hill. I used the Par Endfed on 20 meters, and
ran the ATS-2. There were plenty of stations
on the band.